Mrs. Maynard’s Classroom Handbook
2025-26
Welcome
Welcome to 1st grade at Wea Ridge Elementary! There are so many fun things that await us as your child continues their elementary school journey, and I cannot wait to navigate this school year with you. As the year goes on, we will work together to ensure that your child gets the education that they need to be the most successful they can be, now and in the future. I am so excited to work with you and your child every step of the way!
The purpose of this handbook is to serve as a guide for you and your child as we start their 1st grade experience. If you have any questions about anything, listed or not, please do not hesitate to send an email my way or give me a call!
Mrs. Kristen (Burger) Maynard
kamaynard@tsc.k12.in.us
765-471-9321 ext. 6532
Philosophy
My beliefs with education stem from continuous discovery and a classroom community. We can learn so much from the world just by looking around us, and it is so important that our students understand that, too. School may be a building, but learning can happen any- and everywhere we look! So, it is up to us to get excited with our students and help them understand what is going on around them. We will have so many “lightbulb moments” and adventures as the year goes on, and we can learn from every single experience!
The second thing I mentioned is a classroom community. This goes with what we’re doing in the classroom student-to-student, student-to-teacher, and friend-to-friend, as well as other staff members in the building and especially you: the family. You’ve heard the saying, “It takes a village.” Well, it really does, and you and I are the start of your child’s school village that will grow as they continue their K-12 education. The more you and I work together, the higher success your student will be set for. The biggest thing that I ask for between school and home is consistency. If I am expecting your student to listen to a story without interruption at school, you can certainly expect the same from your child when they’re at home, and when you expect your child to pick up after themselves, I’ll expect the same thing, too. Children are sure to learn when all of the adults they trust are on the same page!
Class Hours
Regular School Hours: 8:50 A.M. – 3:20 P.M.
2-Hour Delay Hours: 10:50 A.M. – 3:20 P.M.
Early Dismissals & Two-Hour Delays
For two-hour delays and school closings, look on your local weather and/or radio stations to hear about TSC’s decision. If you are interested in making this process easier, TSC offers their own app notification system that will send out any corporation-wide alerts including early dismissals and school delays or closures. Information about this app/system (TSC2Go) can be found here: https://www.tsc.k12.in.us/about/tsc2go
*I would highly recommend setting up push notifications through the app. I find them to be very helpful!
In the event of inclement weather, early dismissals can occur. It is important to devise a plan for these days before they arise on what wishes your family has for student pick-up on these sort of days. In the case of an early dismissal, I will refer back to what you filled out at the beginning of the year during registration. Your child will be doing exactly that, unless you have contacted the school to change your plans. This will ensure safety so that we know where your child is at all times!
Changes in Schedule/Routine
Changes happen in our busy lives, and with those changes, we have to have communication! If your child is riding the bus home with a friend or getting picked up by someone other than a parent, send a signed note with them to school or call the office as soon as you know the plan. All changes in after school pickup must be received in the office by 3:00 P.M. Safety is of highest importance, so if we don’t hear anything different from you by then, your child will be practicing their typical routine.
Sick Children
School attendance is so extremely important, but we know sometimes that kids get sick. If your child is running a fever or has been vomiting within 24 hours of a school day, they should not be at school, under any circumstances.
If your child is too sick to come to school, please call the office to report their absence.
Missed Work – Absences
If your child is too sick to come to school, I do not always expect them to complete their school work at that time. Alternate timing for learning and assignments will be laid out to get your child caught up. We will work together to make this happen!
If you have a planned absence, please let me know, and I will gather your child’s work before their absence. Please remember, though, that attendance is important when your child is able to safely be at school. New material and learning are discovered every day.
Breakfast & Lunch at School
Students are welcome to eat breakfast at school each morning. Breakfast selections will be made during school for the next day and will be delivered to our classroom each morning.
Breakfast Price: $1.40
Lunch Price: $2.40
1st grade eats lunch every day at 11:30 A.M.
Menus for lunch (& breakfast) at school can be found here: https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/WeaRidgeElementary
Paper copies of lunch and breakfast menus can be sent home with your student upon request.
Snacks
Our class will not have a scheduled snack time this year, however, I will keep a bin of individual, pre-packaged snacks in our classroom in case emergencies arise. I understand that we are not able to function at our best with empty stomachs, so, as long as it is not abused, I will have snacks available when necessary.
Birthdays
Birthdays are important and must be celebrated! On or around (if on a weekend or during a summer month) your child’s birthday, we will celebrate them in class. On or around their special day, you are more than welcome to send in a treat or trinket for the class to celebrate with.
*Reminder that treats MUST be store-bought and (preferably) individually packaged. No homemade goodies, whole cakes, or packages of cupcakes.
Please also DO NOT send party invitations to school for your child to hand out unless the entire class is invited. This makes for uncomfortable situations for all involved and takes away from our learning. I would be more than happy to address and send them myself if you send invitations in with stamped envelopes and names on them.
Volunteers
If you are willing and able to volunteer in our classroom at any time throughout the year, please let me know! I appreciate any help you are willing to provide for our class, and there are always things to get done.
If you are unable to volunteer but would still like to do something for our classroom, be on the lookout for donation opportunities or visit our classroom’s Amazon Wishlist in my email signature. There are always things that we need that will give us additional learning opportunities!
Field Trips
Be on the lookout for where we end up going and what you and your child can do to prepare for these fun opportunities. Chaperoning opportunities will present themselves throughout this school year! Each chaperone will need to complete a background check before going on a field trip with your child. Once completed, these background checks are valid for 3 years.
Grading
Students will be evaluated individually through observation and formal assessments based on the Indiana State Academic Standards. Grades will come from things like: quizzes, tests, participation, projects, and homework. Your child will bring home a progress report at the end of every nine weeks with official report cards being given during parent-teacher conferences.
TSC Grading Scale that we will utilize:
A - 90%-100% (Mastery)
B - 80%-89% (Approaching Mastery)
C - 70%-79% (Developing Mastery)
D - 60%-69% (Needs Time to Master)
F - 59% and below (Needs Time to Master)
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are traditionally held in October and February each year where guardians are expected to attend, whether they be in-person, via Google Meet, or via phone call. Please stay tuned as we get closer to those times. If you have thoughts or concerns and would like to have a traditional conference before October, please email me, and we can set one up right away. Remember, you can always call, message, or email me with any thoughts or concerns!
Behavior Policy
Positive interactions and behavior are choices that each of us have to make when we wake up every morning. Students are encouraged throughout the day to practice using positive habits and the life skills that we continue to work on. In our classroom, we will deepen our understanding of knowing that all actions, whether positive or negative, have consequences for ourselves and others. To practice this and be more aware of our actions, we will be using a system modeled after Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids. This is a system that can be used for positive interactions (making our bucket full and colorful) and not as positive interactions (dipping into our bucket). Overall, this is a management system that will stand as a model for self-awareness with our actions at school, as well as how we affect those around us.
If after being given a reminder and “dipping” into our bucket, a negative behavior continues to occur:
1. Student will be given a final warning.
2. Student will have time deducted from second free-time in 2-minute increments.
3. Parent contact will be made.
4. Student will be referred to Mrs. Jacobs or Mr. Frauhiger.
**Physical violence is not tolerated at Wea Ridge Elementary and will result in an immediate referral to Mrs. Jacobs or Mr. Frauhiger.
Home Folder
This is one of our biggest and easiest forms of communication from home to school and vice versa. Please be sure to check your child’s folder with them every night and empty its contents. If there is anything you need to send back to school, drop it in that folder, put it in your child’s backpack, and it will make it back to me.
Homework
Reflecting and reviewing is how we really learn, understand, and retain information! Consistent weekly homework includes reading. With this your child is expected to practice their reading skills for at least 15 minutes a day at home using their library, classroom, or at-home books. If other homework assignments/projects come up throughout the year, I will make you all aware of this (studying for a math test once a quarter, finishing in-class work, etc.).
Parent-Teacher Communication
For quick reminders and correspondence, we will be using ClassDojo. This program can be downloaded as an app on your phone or used on the computer. You will be added to our class shortly after the end of open house!
Our class’s webpage can be found here or in my email signature: https://sites.google.com/tsc.k12.in.us/kaburger/home
On our webpage, you can find our daily schedule, specials schedule, a copy of this handbook with our behavior and grading policies included, and a little bit about me.
After I receive all of your ideas for paper vs. electronic newsletter, I will send one out each week accordingly. These will be sent out on Monday and will share fun things for the following week, what we may have to look forward to for the week ahead, and any helpful reminders.
School Supplies
School supplies lists for your child can be found on the Wea Ridge Elementary webpage on the 1st 2 page. We also have an Amazon wish list for our class, where anything that you can provide would be greatly appreciated and directly used by your kiddos!
iPads
In our classroom, each student will be assigned an iPad to use while we are at school. These iPads only have apps on them that are used for educational purposes, and screen-time is limited each day. We will be using them as quick practice or short activities that will complement the hands-on learning that we have talked about or are reviewing that day. These iPads are a privilege, and students are held to extremely high standards when using these devices. Additionally, these devices will NEVER be sent home with your child; they are for in-class use only.
Specials
Our “Special of the Day” occurs from 1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. and rotates through the days of the week as shown on the "Class Schedules" tab. Please ensure that your child has appropriate footwear on Thursdays for P.E. Tennis shoes or sneakers are highly recommended for safety purposes.
Library Books
Our class goes to the library every Monday afternoon. Students will be allowed to check out books starting the first couple weeks of school. Please help your child hold this responsibility for their library books and bringing them back to school every Monday. Library books should remain in your child’s backpack unless they are actively reading at that time.
Recess/Going Outside
Please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather and/or has a jacket in their backpack for potential changes in weather as the school day goes on. We all know how crazy Indiana weather can be, and it’s best to be prepared for it all!
School Bus
Riding the bus is a privilege that is provided by TSC. Students must follow these safety rules if they are riding the school bus to and/or from school:
1. Stay seated.
2. Use a quiet voice.
3. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
4. No eating.
5. The driver is your “teacher” during bus hours.
Students not following these guidelines will be referred to Mrs. Jacobs or Mr. Frauhiger.
Car Rider Procedures
This school year, we will be using the same car rider procedure as last year where the line starts beside the water tower (see traffic flow map on the back of this page).
Please continue to have your blue nameplate visible when picking up your child in the afternoon.